Improved process for solidifying peat



PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ELSBERG, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED PROCESS FOR SOLIDIFYING PEAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44.520, dated October4, 1864.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS ELSBERG, of the city, county,-and State of NewYork, have invented anew and useful Process for Solidifylug-Peat; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of my said invention.

' Peat in its natural state is saturated with water, which it isnecessary to remove 'in order to enable it to'be conveyed to distantma'rkets andtov render it suitable for fuel. The peculiar porousstructure of the peat opposes the removal of the water by directpressure, while the removal of it by drying is not only a tediousprocess,but generally leaves the article with a loose open structure,which untits it for conveyance to distant markets.

The object of my invention is to enable the peat to be solidifiedrapidly at a low cost and it consists of a process composed essentiallyof three operations, which are, first, the beating of the peat; second,the grinding of it to a pulp, and, third, the separation of the waterfrom it by pressure. In fact, I have discovered byexperiment that whenpea-t is subjected to a heat of about the boiling-point of water-say212a change'takes place in the character of the vegetable fiberscontained in. it, their elasticity appearing to be destroyed, and thechange is such that the mass is read ily reducible by grinding to apulp, from which thesvater can be readily expressed, leaving thematerial in a hard solid cake, of a density approaching that of coaL' Myinvention is not confined to the use of particular machinery, and it maybe practiced with machines now used for other purposes.

'lhe.best mode with which I am acquainted of applying the heat tothepeatis bysubjectin'g it in a vat to the action of steam produced ina. high-pressure steam-boiler and introduced ,by a perforated pipe intothe bottom of the vat. The best machinery with which I am acquainted forthe purpose of grinding it to a pulp is the ordinary pulping-engine usedfor the manufacture of paper. The best machinery with which I amacquainted for the purpose of expressing the water is the hydraulicpressure used for pressing the stearine in the manufacture of stearinecandles and for simi lar purposes. In order to practice my inventionwith such machinery, I introduce a perforated steam-pipe directly intothe bottom of the vat of the pulping-engine and connect this perforatedpipe with the steam-boiler by a pipe'fitted with a valve or stop-cock toregu-.

latethe passage of ste'am, so that the peat can be heated and groundsimultaneously. Icharge the vatof the engine with crude peat and waterin such proportions that the mixture is sufficiently thin to be actedupon by the engine,

the quantity of water added depending upon wheel covered with finewire-gauze. The heating, grinding, and washing are continued until themassis reduced to a uniform pulp and the water is colorless, the effectof the Wash-, ing being the removal of any soluble matters with whichthe peat is mixed. ,The operation is then stopped,and the mass ofpulpisdraiued of water as thoroughly as possible, first, by theoperation of the scoop-wheel, and then by discharging it-from the milland permitting it to lie upon a wire-gauze floor, after which it issubjected to pressure. For this purpose it may be first pressed lightlyin perforated iron cases lined with wire-gauze, the tops and bottoms ofthe cases being formed by the platens of the press. The cakes producedby the first pressure should then be pressed a second time with theutmost pressure to which the material is to be subjected, and thepressing operation should be performed in a press heated-- by steam,like those employed for hot-pressing cakes of stcarine in the candlemanufacture, the effect of which is to solidify the cakes, so that theyapproximate coal inhardness and weight. The solidified peat in this formmay be transported to market as coal is and used for fuel in the samemanner.

Having thus described the best mode with which I am acquainted ofpracticing my invention, I declare that I do not claim to be theinsecure by Letters Patent, is-- ventor of the operation of grindingpeat, nor In testimony whereof I have hereunto set of discharging thewater from it by pressure, my hand. aim of the machinery I havedescribed for prae- .ticing my invention; but LOUIS ELSBERGF \Vhut Iclaim as my invention, and desire to Witnesses:

WILLIAM ELM'ER,

LEOPOLD JAROSLAW'SKI.

The process of solidifying pent by the operations of heating, grinding,and pressure, substantially as set forth.

